Sotheby's

Sotheby’s have been holding auctions since 1744.  Founded in London, where they moved into salerooms on Bond Street in 1917, Sotheby’s expanded to New York in 1955 and now have salerooms and offices around the world.

Sotheby’s offer specialist sales in over 70 different categories though four major salerooms, six smaller ones and through their online bidding platform BIDnow.


A Louis XIV style gilt-bronze mounted, ebony and brass boulle marquetry small armoire, by Joseph Cremer, circa 1860, est. £60,000-90,000.jpg

Nineteenth century furniture and decorative arts dealer creates online auction at Sotheby’s

08 October 2020

Mayfair dealer Adrian Alan is to auction a collection of items from his stock at an online-only sale held by Sotheby’s.

Sotheby's.jpg

Sotheby’s opens shop in Bond Street saleroom as auction houses grow their focus on private and retail sales

05 October 2020

Sotheby’s has opened a new shop in its Bond Street galleries retailing art, design and luxury items.

img_26-1.jpg

Dinosaur hunter Dorset style

05 October 2020

Letter highlights early fossil fan Mary Anning who is soon to be the subject of a film.

img_7-2.jpg

Wine vessel is toast of New York series

28 September 2020

The highlight of last week’s Asian art series in New York was this remarkable 14in (35cm) high Warring States period (475-221BC) bronze sacrificial wine vessel or 'fang hu'.

‘Young Man Holding a Roundel’ by Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli portrait comes to Sotheby’s with $80m estimate

24 September 2020

Sotheby’s will offer a portrait by Sandro Botticelli (c.1445-1510) with an estimate in excess of $80m in New York next year.

img_24-1.jpg

Sotheby's sells huge set of Egypt volumes housed in a cabinet was once owned by the King of France

21 September 2020

Stand-out lot in a travel, map and natural history sale held by Sotheby’s (25/20/13.9% buyer’s premium) was a grand and elaborately cased set of the monumental 'Description de l’Egypte' of 1809-22.

img_20-1.jpg

Warrant appointing Napoleon’s ‘hideous’ jailer on St Helena returns to Sotheby's

14 September 2020

Napoleon’s view after first meeting on St Helena did not improve on closer acquaintance

img_1-1.jpg

US tariffs on Chinese art take effect as New York auction series begins

07 September 2020

This month’s Asian art series in New York could be the last sales to avoid the new trade tariffs that have been imposed by the Trump administration.

img_23-2.jpg

Another Edison light bulb moment

07 September 2020

Appropriately enough, the very first lot offered in a sale called Eureka! was one that focused on scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century, was an autograph manuscript of seven pages of annotated design drawings by Thomas Edison relating to his work on light bulbs.

img_36-2.jpg

New York's Asian art auction series aims to keep the show on the road in wake of Covid and tariffs

07 September 2020

Although hampered by Covid-19 and the ongoing issues surrounding imports of Chinese works of art, the September series of Asian art auctions in New York appears – like most sales in the US – to be remarkably unscathed by recent geopolitical events.

img_22-1.jpg

Newton with musical support

31 August 2020

Mathematical work makes £300,000 in auction where composers also feature heavily

img_18-3.jpg

Even Old Masters have to wait

24 August 2020

Leading works held back until mixed-category July auctions in a drawn-out sales season.

img_16-1.jpg

Brisbane priest's intaglio seal proves a cut above the rest at Bonhams

17 August 2020

The highlight of Bonhams Australia’s (27.5/25% buyer’s premium) latest Jewels sale was this agate intaglio seal from the collection of Brisbane Catholic priest Father Peter Grice (1943-2019).

img_55-1.jpg

ATG letters: Sotheby’s 'overhead' fee – so what is the point of buyer’s premium?

17 August 2020

MADAM – ATG's report ‘Sotheby’s introduces new fee on top of the hammer price and buyer’s premium’ (News, ATG No 2454) will raise eyebrows.

Sotheby's London

Sotheby’s introduces new fee on top of the hammer price and buyer’s premium

10 August 2020

Sotheby’s has introduced a new fee called an ‘Overhead Premium’ that is payable by all auction buyers across its salerooms and online auctions globally.

img_4-2.jpg

Individual highlights at London 'high season' sales but totals hit as vendors hang on to works

03 August 2020

The ‘high season’ of summer auctions in London held by Sotheby’s and Christie’s generated £205.8m including premium last week.

Lucian Freud portrait of John Richardson

Seven highlights from the John Richardson collection at Sotheby’s

03 August 2020

A collection of paintings, sculpture, works on paper and prints owned by the late art historian John Richardson is being offered at Sotheby’s later this year.

Rembrandt self-portrait

Rembrandt self-portrait bid to £12.6m at Sotheby’s

29 July 2020

A self-portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-69) was knocked down for £12.6m at Sotheby’s latest live-streamed cross-category evening sale in London.

Lalanne hippopotamus bathroom suite

Early summer sales in Paris awash with modern design highlights

23 July 2020

Among the high-season sales traditionally staged in Paris in the early summer is a selection of auctions devoted to modern design.

Bernardo Bellotto's view of Dresden

Sotheby’s to offer restituted view of Dresden acquired by Hitler's art dealer

21 July 2020

An Old Master painting restored to the family of its original Jewish owner will be offered at Sotheby’s next week with an estimate of £3m-4m.

News

Categories